5 Questions with Jeannie Nguyen

The ultra-stylish “Sigh Gone” finds its young protagonist facing the city of Saigon, Vietnam without her lost love. For today’s 5 Questions, we asked director Jeannie Nguyen about the film’s origins, artistic influences, and what it’s like to shoot on the streets of Saigon…

1) Can you talk a little bit about your background. Where you come from / how you began making films?

I'd like to believe I lived many lives before stumbling into film. I worked up the corporate ladder, had an online business making/selling dog hoodies and owned two creperies. Since I can recall, I've always had a creative bone but no outlet to articulate these feelings. I started to learn more about the film industry about 2 years ago (thanks to my DOP Andrew) and had my ah-ha moment that this was the ideal medium to express the ideas and stories I got going on up there. With the lack of asian representation on film, I thought it would be cool to create a story about the Asian-American counterculture I grew up in, so we filmed my first short, "First Generation", and been going full force since.

2) How did this project originate?

I remember losing my phone and having to write down directions on a piece of paper, it was tedious and I felt pretty useless. I always had a fixation with how attached people are with their devices so making a film about it came naturally. I thought it would be a nice twist to make it seem like it was about something it's not to get people thinking about their relationship with their phones. I wonder if it worked...

3) It’s so beautifully shot, every frame is so well composed. Can you speak about the visuals of the film, and the process of working with your D.P.?

We dug deep and had tons of reference photos and were heavily inspired by Wong Kar Wai, Wes Anderson and a few short films that had a whimsy, fun appeal. We talked about creating a dreamy atmosphere and juxtaposing the minimal, quaint apartment for the first half with the busy streets of Saigon in the latter half. We wanted to evoke a state of chaos, kind of how someone would feel when pulled out of their comfort zone. Our trip was only for two weeks, so everyday we would scout and prep, until the last two days we jammed two full days of shooting.

4) How is it to film in Saigon? You capture the city very well, it feels very natural and ingrained in the film.

It was my first time and such a great experience. We worked with our producers Nau and Quan from Blaze and they helped a lot with organizing the shoot, finding talent and location, and connecting us with the right people. There was something very comforting with working with the locals. Even though I was born and raised in the states, there's something innate about working together, it's hard to explain but it felt very natural. Everyone busted their ass and had a great attitude, I couldn't have asked for a better first experience. We all had the same mentality to work fast, get scrappy and have a good time.

5) What comes next for you? New film projects in the works?

I'm currently finishing up a feature length screenplay that takes place in Vietnam. I also have a concept for an episodic that I'm expanding on and a short film that I'd like to shoot on 16mm some time in the next few months. I'm trying to keep the momentum going. :)